Married couple in murder-suicide in Raleigh had 2 young sons and were business owners

Ashley and Nicholas Talarico were a quiet couple raising two young sons near the Brier Creek Country Club, neighbors said.

Now neighbors and police are trying to figure out what led 34-year-old Nicholas Talarico to fatally shoot his wife and then himself on Wednesday, when many families were celebrating the Fourth of July.

"They kept to themselves," said Kristen Howering, who lives across the street from the Talaricos in the 9400 block of Misty Creek Lane in northwest Raleigh. "But I would see the kids out a lot."

Police responded to the Talarico home in response to a 911 call placed at 4:25 p.m. Wednesday. A female caller, who was not identified, was frantic.

“I need the police here right away,” the caller said, then asked someone with her for the address. They took a moment to find the right number.

The caller said she was with “the boys” and had gone upstairs to find that Nicholas Talarico “had shot himself.”

“Can you send the boys into another room and close the door, and I need you to go upstairs where he is to see if we can help him,” the 911 dispatcher asked the caller.

“I can’t do that, I’m not gonna go up there,” the caller said.

“You can’t go up there?”

“I’m not going up there to look at my (unintelligible) bullet — I’m not going up there!”

Howering, the neighbor, said she saw a fire truck parked in front of the Talarico home Wednesday afternoon.

"I had no idea what was going on," she said "Their grandmother was outside. The two little boys were outside being watched by the cops."

Nicholas and Ashley Talarico rented the 2,700-square-foot home on Misty Creek Lane. Neighbors said the family moved there from another home in the Brier Creek area.

Neighbors also said they weren't aware of any marital issues with the Talarico couple. No court records have been filed in Wake County that would indicate marital discord.

"If they ever had any fights, we weren't aware of it," said Stanley Berkowitz, who lives next door with his wife Arlene Bezner. "I thought they were a couple that got along. They had such well-behaved kids. They were always getting new things for the kids. They had a babysitter who played football and baseball with them. 'Gee,' I thought. They must be a good family. They treat their kids so well.'"

Bezner agreed the Talaricos were quiet.

Ashley and Nicholas Talerico were both business owners.

Ashley Talarico, 30, ran Women's Wellness Massage from the couple's home. The business specializes in fertility and prenatal massage services, according to its website.

Claire Marie Miller, a Chapel Hill-based massage therapist who teaches fertility massage techniques, said Ashley Talarico was her student.

"A lot of my students are very passionate about the work they do, as am I," Miller said. "But Ashley took all my classes. She was passionate about women, and loved nurturing them and caring for them."

Miller said Ashley Talarico had been excited to start an at-home practice.

"It's tragic," Miller said of her death.

Nicholas Talarico is listed as principal owner of Talarico Stallings Logistics, an independent contracting company for FedEx, according to the company's website. The company is located at National Drive in Raleigh. Company officials could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday.

Nicholas Talarico and a business partner opened a second branch of the company in Charlotte in March.

Staff writer David Raynor contributed to this report.

This story was originally published July 5, 2018 at 6:42 AM.